Sam Kessler

Sam is CoinDesk's deputy managing editor for tech and protocols. His reporting is focused on decentralized technology, infrastructure and governance. Sam holds a computer science degree from Harvard University, where he led the Harvard Political Review. He has a background in the technology industry and owns some ETH and BTC. Sam was part of the team that won a 2023 Gerald Loeb Award for CoinDesk's coverage of Sam Bankman-Fried and the FTX collapse.

Recent

CoinDesk Podcast Network

Podcasts

Coinbase CEO Defends AI Progress; Sushi Swap CEO Gets Candid on Crypto Regulatory Crackdowns

The most valuable crypto stories for Friday, March 31, 2023.

By Jennifer Sanasie Adam B. Levine Sam Kessler

Mar 31, 2023 at 8:22 p.m. UTC

Mar 31, 2023

PodcastsCryptoCultureCommunity

Technology

Ronin

Axie Infinity’s Ronin Blockchain Overhauls Tech, Expands to New Game Studios a Year After $625M Hack

Ronin will transition to a delegated proof-of-stake consensus mechanism and expand beyond Axie Infinity’s IP.

By Sam Kessler

Mar 30, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. UTC

Mar 30, 2023

Roninronin networkAxie InfinitySky MavisWeb3

(Creative Commons, modified by CoinDesk)

Technology

Valid points

Arbitrum Shows Just How Messy (and Tricky) Crypto Airdrops Can Be

Bugs, server crashes and scammers continue to plague crypto airdrops. Will regulatory pressures be next?

By Sam Kessler

Mar 29, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. UTC

Mar 29, 2023

Valid PointsNewslettersEthereumSecuritiesArbitrumHowey TestThe Protocol

Arbitrum booth at ETHDenver (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)

Finance

Twitter

Twitter Briefly Suspends Official Arbitrum Account

Twitter restored the account and said it was "flagged as spam by mistake."

By Sam Kessler

Mar 27, 2023 at 7:12 p.m. UTC

Mar 27, 2023

TwitterArbitrum

Technology

Arbitrum

Arbitrum to Airdrop New Token and Transition to DAO

The long-awaited ARB token will grant holders the ability to vote on changes to the leading Ethereum layer 2 network.

By Sam Kessler

Mar 16, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. UTC

Mar 16, 2023

ArbitrumairdropEthereumScalingtokenDAO

New York Attorney General Letitia James (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Policy

Analysis

What Happens if Ether Is a Security?

A recent suit filed by the New York Attorney General could have far-ranging complications for crypto exchanges that list ether.

By Sam Kessler Cheyenne Ligon

Mar 9, 2023 at 11:32 p.m. UTC

Mar 9, 2023

AnalysisEtherEthereumSECLetitia JamesKuCoinSecurityregulations

Technology

Valid points

Gitcoin’s Owocki Says Crypto Can Regenerate the World. Just Don’t Call Him Starry-Eyed

A programmer by training, Kevin Owocki's view of securities law is not based in any formal legal training but crypto optimism, evolutionary science, economics and legal theory...

By Sam Kessler

Mar 8, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. UTC

Mar 8, 2023

Valid PointsNewslettersEthereumSecuritiesSecurities and Exchange CommissionRegenerative Finance (ReFi)GitcoinThe Protocol

"Bankless" co-host David Hoffman (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)

Policy

Lido’s LDO Token Sinks 10% Following Rumors Crypto Staking Service Received SEC Notice

Crypto podcaster David Hoffman spread (and then retracted) a rumor that the SEC had delivered a Wells Notice to the decentralized staking service. A spokesperson for Lido decl...

By Sam Kessler

Mar 5, 2023 at 1:03 a.m. UTC

Mar 5, 2023

PolicySECLidoLdoLido daoRegulation